Gravity-motor.



No. 725,909. PATENTED APR. 21, 1903.

J. R. WRIGHT.

GRAVITY MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 10, 1903.

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No. 725,909. I PATENTED APR. 21, 1903, J. R. WRIGHT. GRAVITY MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 10. 1903.

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PATENTED APR. 21, 1903.

vJ. R. WRIGHT. GRAVITY MOTOR.

APPLIOATIOR 21mm JAN. 10, 1903.

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PATENTED APR. 21, 1903.

' J. R. WRIGHT.

GRAVITY MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 10, 1903. H0 MODEL. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

UNITED STAT-ES PATENT OFFI E.

JAMES R. WRIGHT, OF LIVINGSTON, MONTANA.

G RAiVlTY-MOTO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 725,909, dated April 21, 1903.

Application filed January 10, 1903. Serial No. 138,508. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, JAMES R. WRIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Liv ingston, in the county of Park and State of Montana, have invented a new and useful Gravity-Motor; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to a gravity-motor; and it has for its object to improve the construction of gravity-motors and to provide a simple, inexpensive, and efficient one capable of developing a great amount of power and adapted at the same time to be readily controlled in stopping and starting.

A further object of the invention is to provide a gravity-motor of this character adapted for operating all kinds of machinery and capable of being substituted for the ordinary engine and of being used for all of the purposes to which the same may be put.

The invention consists of the novel con struction-and arrangement of parts herein after described and shown, and particularly pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings forming part of this speci-- fication, and in which like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a gravity-motor constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the pneumatic compensating device. Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the construction of the gage, on a large scale. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the upper portion and one end of the main or supporting frame. Fig. 6 is a similar view of one end of the frame and a portion of the top and bottom thereof. Fig. 7 is a detail view of one end of the reciprocating bar which oscillates the main upright shaft. Fig. '8 is a detail View of the journal-box of the upper end of the oscillatory shaft. Fig. 9 is a sectional view illustrating the construction of the engine and the pneumatic compensating device and governor.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the base of the main or supporting frame, which base preferably consists of a hollow casting mounted upon a suitable foundation firmly fixed in the ground or other supporting-surface. Rising from the baseare upright end pieces 2 and 3, arranged in pairs and bolted at their lower ends to the base and connected at their upper ends by the top 4 of the frame. The top 4, which may be constructed in any desired manner, preferably consists of two longitudinal plates or sections suitably bolted to the upright end pieces of the frame, as shown,and they may be seated upon or secured beneath the upper ends of the upright end pieces, which are enlarged and extend inwardly, as shown, to facilitate the attachment of the top of the frame. The top of the frame is provided with a centrally-arranged approximately elliptical opening 5,preferably framed, as shown at 6, and receiving an upright oscillatory shaft 7. The upright oscillatory shaft, which is preferably constructed in the form of a truss, is stepped at its lower end in a suitable bearing 8,preferably consisting of a forging and suitably secured to the base of the main or supporting frame. The bearing 8 is preferably beveled at opposite sides and fitted in a dovetailed recess of the base of the frame; but it may be mounted in any other desired manner. The lower portion of the upright oscillatory shaft carries a horizontal beveled gear 9,which meshes with a vertical beveled gear 10 of a drive-shaft 11, and the movement of the oscillatory shaft at the upper end is preferably about six inches, the shaft being carried by the actuating means three inches beyond a perpendicular position in each direction of its movement; but these measurements may be varied, as will be readily understood, to suit the character of the work to be performed. The movement at the lower end,of the upright oscillatory shaft incident to this oscillation is barely perceptible and is insufficient to effect a proper mesh or engagement of the beveled gearing. A play of about seven-sixteenths of an inch of the teeth of the gear-wheels 9 and 10 is all that is necesssry to enable them to accommodate themselves to the oscillatory movement of the main upright shaft. The upper end 12 of the upright oscillatory shaft is reduced to form a journal and is arranged in a journal or hearing box 13, which is also provided with opposite journals 14. The journals 14 are received in suitable bearings 15 of the sides of a fork or bifurcation of a reciprocating pitlnan or connecting-bar 16, which is pivoted at its outer end 17 to a rocker-arm or lever 18, fulcrumed between its ends at 19 on a suitable support 20. The support 20, which may be of any preferred construction, is inverted-U-shaped, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The upper arm of the lever 18 is twice the length of the lower arm, and the movement of the upperarm and the stroke of the piston 21, hereinafter described, is twelve inches, so that the movement of the lower arm and the reciprocating bar or pitman 16 is six inches, which is sufficient to carry the upper end of the oscillatory shafta distance of three inches beyond each side of a perpendicular position.

The upper arm of the lever 18 is connected by a main rod 22 with a cross-head 23, which reciprocates in a suitable guide-24 and which is connected with the outer end of the pistonrod. The piston-head is arranged within a suitable cylinder 25, upon which is mounted a steam-chest 26, and a slide-valve of the ordinary construction operates in the steamchest for controlling the admission of steam to the ports of the steam-cylinder for introducing the steam at opposite sides of the head of the piston in the usual manner. The slidevalve which is balanced may be of any preferred construction and a detailed description of the ports is therefore deemed unnecessary. The exhaust is conducted from the steam-chest and the steam-cylinder by a suitable exhaust-pipe 27, and the admission of steam to the steam-chest is controlled by asuitable throttle-valve 28. The valve-stem 29 of the slide-valve is arranged in a suitable guide 30 and is connected with an eccentric 31, operated by a vertical shaft 32, connected by beveled gearing with the drive-shaft 11 of the motor. The bevel-gears 33 and 34 are arranged horizontally and vertically, as clearlyshown in Fig. 1. The steam-chest and the steam-cylinder are supported by a standard 35, suitably braced, as shown, and the braces support the superstructure, upon which the guide 30 and the guide or way 24 are mounted. The drive-shaft is journaled in suitable bearings of short standards 36 and 37, mounted upon the base of the main or supporting frame, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

Extending from the upper portion of the upright oscillatory shaft is an arm 38, carrying a weight 39 and braced, as shown, the upper brace 40 extending from the inner portion of the arm to the upper portion of the weight and the lower brace 41 being interposed between the arm 38 and the shaft 7. The braces and the arm are suitably bolted together and to the shaft 7 and to the weight 39. The weight 39, which may be of any desired heft to secure the necessary power, is lifted by the oscillation of the upright shaft 7 and is caused to fall in a circular path, the oscillation of the shaft producing a continuous rotation or revolution of the weight around the shaft and a consequent rotation of the shaft 7 in its bearing. By this construction an immense weight may be caused to revolve rapidly around the upright oscillatory shaft, thereby developing a great amount of power and enabling a motor to be constructed for performing any character of work which may be performed by an ordinary steam-engine, and this power is developed at the expense of a minimum amount of power applied through the steam-cylinder and the connections at the upper end of the oscillatory shaft 7. The drive-shaft carries a suitable drive-pulley 42, keyed or otherwise secured to its outer end, as clearly shown in Fig. 1; but any other means may be employed for transmitting motion fromthe drive-shaft to the mechanism to be operated. The lateral thrust of the upright oscillatory shaft incident to the falling of the Weight is to a certain extent cushioned and taken up by a pneumatic compensating device provided with air-compressing cylinders 43, having a piston 44, which is connected bya rod or piston 45 with the upper arm of the lever 18. The cylinders 43 are double-compressioned cylinders, the piston being adapted to compressaironeachstroke. Theendsofthecylinders 43 are connected to approximately globular receptacles 46 and are mounted upon standards 47, suitably secured to the top of the frame and to the cylinders 43. The standards are braced by an intermediate connecting-bar, and the globular receptacles are also supported by braces 48. The globular receptacles are connected by horizontal pipes 49 with an upright pipe 50, which communicates with a gage 51. The braces 48 extend from the globular receptacles 46 to the upright branch pipe or tube which communicates with the gage. The pipes or tubes leading from the receptacles 46 to the upright pipe 50 are provided with suitable check-valves 52, which prevent a circulation of compressed air through the compensating device, and the airis caused to pass from one receptacle 46 to the gage instead of passing to the other receptacle. The compensating device also operates asa governor and has an arm 53, which is connected by a rod 54 with an arm of the throttle-valve to shut off to a greater or less extent the feed of steam when the pressure within the compensating device hecomes excessive through too great or too rapid an operation of the motor. The gage, which is preferably provided with a cylindrical casing, has a suitable cylinder 55 arranged within it and communicating by suitable pipe connections 56 with the upright pipe or tube 50, so that the compressed air at each stroke of the piston 44 actuates a piston 57 of the cylinder 55 of the gage. The piston 57, which is arranged in an upright position, is connected with a horizontal lever 58 at a point between the ends thereof. The horizontal gage-lever 57, which is fulcrumed at one end on a suitable'support 59, is connected at its other end with a coiled spring 60, which is suitably secured at its lower end and which ITO operates to force the piston of the cylinder 55 downward. The piston of the cylinder 55 is connected with a rack-bar 61, which meshes with a pinion 62 of a shaft 63, journaled in suitable bearings and carrying the arm which is connected by the rod 5% with the throttlevalve. By this construction the compensating device is enabled to operate asa governor for the motor. The upright pipe or tube which extends to the gage is provided with a suitable valve 64 for permitting the escape of compressed air, so that the pressure of the compressed air within the compensating device maybe readily regulated to suit the head of the steam on the engine.

It will be seen that the motor, which is exceedingly simple and inexpensive in construc tion, is capable of developing an immense amount of power, and it will be understood that various changes within the scope of the appended claims may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is 1. In a motor of the class described, the combination of an upright oscillatory shaft provided with a weight, an engine having a valve connection between the engine and the oscillatory shaft, gearing operated by the oscillatory shaft, and means operable by the gearing for actuating the valve, substantially as described.

2. In a motor of the class described, the combination of an upright oscillatory shaft provided with a weighted arm, an engine connected with the oscillatory shaft and having a slide-valve, an eccentric connected With the slide-valve, and gearing operable by the oscillatory shaft for actuating the eccentric, substantially as described.

3. In a motor of the class described, the combination of an upright oscillatory shaft, a cylinder provided with a piston and having a slide-valve an oscillating lever connected with the piston and with the oscillatory shaft, an eccentric connected with the slide-valve, and gearing operable by the oscillatory shaft for actuating the eccentric, substantially as described.

4. In a motor of the class described, the combination of an upright oscillatory shaft provided with a weighted arm, an oscillating lover, a reciprocating rod or piston connecting the lever with the upright oscillatory shaft, a cylinder having a piston, a connecting-rod extending from the piston to the le-' ver, and means operable by the oscillatory shaft for controlling the admission of a fluid under pressure to the cylinder, substantially as described.

5. In a motor of the class described, the combination of an upright oscillatory shaft having a weighted arm, a horizontal driveshaft connected by gearing with the upright oscillatory shaft, a cylinder having aslide-valve and provided with a piston connected with the upper end of the oscillatory shaft, an eccentric for operating the slide-valve, and gearing connecting the eccentric with the driveshaft, substantially as described.

6. In a motor of the class described, the combination of an upright oscillatory shaft having a weighted arm, an engine for oscillating the shaft, and a pneumatic governor and compensating device comprising air-compressing mechanism connected with the oscillatory shaft, a gage having a movable element for controlling the admission of a fluid under pressure to the engine, and connections between the air-compressing mechanism and the gage, substantially as described.

7. In a motor of the class described, the combination of an upright oscillatory shaft having a Weighted arm, an engine provided with a throttle-valve and connected with the oscillatory shaft, and a pneumatic compensating device and governor comprising aircompressing mechanism connected with the oscillatory shaft, a gage having a movable element connected with the throttle-valve, and connections between the aircompressing mechanism and the gage, substantially as described.

8. In a motor of the class described, the combination of an upright oscillatory shaft having a Weighted arm, an engine having a throttle-valve and connected with the oscillatory shaft, a pair of air-compressing cylinders provided with a piston and piston-rod connected with the oscillatory shaft, receptacles for the compressed air connected with the cylinders, a gage having a movable element connected with the throttle-valve, and

connections between the receptacles and the gage, said connections having an air-escape and provided with check-valves,substan tially as described.

9. In a motor of the class described, the combination of an upright oscillatory shaft having a weighted arm, means for operating the oscillatory shaft, a pair of air-compressing cylinders having a piston and piston-rod connected with the oscillatory shaft, receptacles connected with the cylinders a gage and connections between the receptacles and the gage, substantially as described.

10. In a motor of the class described, the combination of an upright oscillatory shaft having a weighted arm, means for operating the shaft, a pair of cylinders connected with the shaft and having a piston, a pair of receptacles connected with the cylinders, and a gage connected with the receptacles and comprising a cylinder having a piston, a springcontrolled lever, connected with the latter, a rack-bar operated by the piston of the gage, a pinion meshing with the rack-bar, and a movable element operated by the pinion, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES R. WRIGHT.

Witnesses:

FRED BUNNELL, R. K. STEVENS. 

